The drag link (as you already know) can be made using new style parts. One of the parts suggested for this has become very hard (if not impossible) to find, but there are workarounds using different parts and you can either use the MOOG search using dimensions, threads, etc or call MOOG. The man I talked to there (about 4 or 5 years ago) was very helpful, impressively well informed and had good ideas for substitution possibilities. Sounded to me like he had done similar work himself. Aside from easy adjustment, one nice thing is if the parts wear, you can replace them much more easily. And they're sealed so dust, dirt, water, salt, snow, etc isn't the same problem. And there is zero play once you do this. I expected the new parts might make steering easier, but honestly I can't say they did. Feels about the same from that aspect.
What I learned about the replacement balls available when I did this (mid 90s) was they are nowhere near as hard as the originals were. In fact I think they were nothing more than mild steel. They certainly wore out in a hurry. Good luck!
